Abstract
The electric eel is a unique species that has evolved three electric organs. Since the 1950s, electric eels have generally been assumed to use these three organs to generate two forms of electric organ discharge (EOD): high-voltage EOD for predation and defense and low-voltage EOD for electrolocation and communication. However, why electric eels evolved three electric organs to generate two forms of EOD and how these three organs work together to generate these two forms of EOD have not been clear until now. Here, we present the third form of independent EOD of electric eels: middle-voltage EOD. We suggest that every form of EOD is generated by one electric organ independently and reveal the typical discharge order of the three electric organs. We also discuss hybrid EODs, which are combinations of these three independent EODs. This new finding indicates that the electric eel discharge behavior and physiology and the evolutionary purpose of the three electric organs are more complex than previously assumed. The purpose of the middle-voltage EOD still requires clarification.
Highlights
The electric eel is a unique species that has evolved three electric organs
The electricity utilized by these scientists is currently known as high-voltage electric organ discharge (EOD), which can reach at most 860 V according to recent research[5]
Since the 1930s, electric eels have been assumed to control these three pairs of organs to generate the above two forms of EOD, with many studies related to electric eel discharge behavior and physiology being based on this assumption[1,5,10,11,16]
Summary
The electric eel is a unique species that has evolved three electric organs. Since the 1950s, electric eels have generally been assumed to use these three organs to generate two forms of electric organ discharge (EOD): high-voltage EOD for predation and defense and low-voltage EOD for electrolocation and communication. Since the 1930s, electric eels have been assumed to control these three pairs of organs to generate the above two forms of EOD, with many studies related to electric eel discharge behavior and physiology being based on this assumption[1,5,10,11,16]. Body of an electric eel that matches the shape and position of Hunter’s organ This observation indicates that electric eels use three pairs of electric organs to generate three forms of EOD independently. We found some irregular EOD waveform, and they can be explained as combinations of low-voltage EOD, middle-voltage EOD and high-voltage EOD This conclusion reveals that the electric eel discharge behavior and physiology are more complex than previously assumed. The purpose of the middle-voltage EOD and why electric eels evolved Hunter’s organ still require clarification
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